Injury scare for visitors,Finn limps off after four overs

THERE was no dearth of harrowing and reputation-debilitating episodes that transpired during Indias winless tour to England in the forgettable summer of 2011.

There was no dearth of harrowing and reputation-debilitating episodes that transpired during Indias winless tour to England in the forgettable summer of 2011. The image of an aggrieved Zaheer Khan gingerly holding his right hamstring and limping off the Lords ground on the first morning of the opening Test was easily the most dispiriting. The moment which took the wind out of the Indian teams sails at the onset of the battle.

Though not quite as dramatic,the England teams campaign in India too started on an ominously painful note as fast bowler Steven Finn hobbled off the field within the first hour of the visitors opening warm-up match. Finn only bowled four overs,conceding 22 runs,before suffering from discomfort in his right thigh. The 23-year-old pacer was then taken to a nearby hospital for scans and didnt play any further part in the days play. The extent of Finns injury will be revealed only on Wednesday.

The young Middlesex fast bowler bowled three overs with the new-ball,generating disconcerting bounce off a length and proving a handful for openers Abhinav Mukund and Murali Vijay. He then returned for one over,where he was hit for three boundaries by Mukund,before exiting the scene.

Finn,the youngest of the five in Englands explosive pace-attack,is believed to be a shoo-in to the Test XI as England look to break the 27-year-long lean patch on Indian soil. Last year he became the youngest England pacer to reach 50 wickets. While injuries and his troubles with consistency did keep him out of the squad thereafter,he returned with 10 wickets in two Tests against South Africa at home.

His impressive showing during the ODI series in India last year despite the teams dismal show though has marked him out as a potential match-winner this time around. While Finn has played just three Tests in subcontinent,the 67 youngster has an impressive record in ODIs in this part of the world with 21 wickets at 18.42 in nine matches. Only time will tell though if Finns limping off too proves to be a premature death-knell for Englands chances.